by Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, USA TODAY Sports

by Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, USA TODAY Sports

Kobe Bryant probably doesn't enjoy siding with the Clippers on many things, but he's willing to come to Blake Griffin's defense when it comes to the shot he took from Thunder forward Serge Ibaka on Sunday.

Asked how he would have responded to such a move, Bryant let it be known that he would have stood his ground.

"I probably would have smacked him in the mouth," Bryant said Monday, according to The Los Angeles Times.

Griffin fell to the floor after Ibaka hit him below the belt in the fourth quarter of the Thunder's 108-104 win, but Bryant said his reaction would have been swift.

"I would have dealt with the pain afterward," Bryant said.

The Lakers visit the Thunder on Tuesday. The NBA has yet to issue a public ruling on Ibaka's flagrant 1 foul, which could yield a suspension and/or fine.